Own Your Truth Podcast

Chris Valdheims is an entrepreneur, writer, podcaster, and lawyer who is dedicated to helping creatives bring their visions to life.

As a client of Chris’s innovative law firm, Counsel for Creators, I didn’t just learn about how to protect my intellectual property or navigate contracts, I learned how to stop worrying about the legal unknown and make informed decisions about the future of my business.

What’s really unique about Chris’s approach is that he doesn’t just understand creatives, he is a creative who is passionate about helping people who come from challenging or complicated circumstances to create freely and authentically by sharing their stories.

In this episode we talk about how to break through the creative barriers of perfectionism and fear, how to turn challenging circumstances into creative fuel, and the journey of making creative decisions without being swayed by the influence of the external.

Paris Davis is a former Division 1 athlete, who leveraged sports, a job, and real estate to become the founder of multiple businesses, a national educator, and an adjunct professor at Saint Xavier University.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Paris is the kind of heart-centered human who also gifted his parents a house, and consistently dedicates his time to helping the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders boost their success using a goal-centric approach.

In this conversation, we explore the art of delegation, time management, and the journey of finding the balance in business and life.

At the time of this recording, Emily Hartstone will have been hospitalized twice to receive the vital treatments she needs for her ongoing battle with Leukemia and severe graves disease. 

She also will have taken more than a few Zoom calls from her hospital bed and/or removed the IVs from her arm in order to meet her clients at an important event. 

As the CEO of From The Hart Management LLC, a motivational speaker, and purpose-driven entrepreneur, Emily's extensive career in sales and event management for non-profit trade organizations is driven by something deeper than success or accolades.

This episode is about the deeply personal and core beliefs that keep Emily grounded in her truth as she fights to make a difference every day. 

After multiple surgeries, hospitalizations, and dark nights of the soul, her mission to empower the next generation of change-makers is stronger than ever before. 

Before I interviewed Chris Wright, I had the opportunity to learn about some of the pivotal moments that shaped his life, and when I discovered the depths of physical and psychological trauma he endured at a young age, the one question that came to mind was: “How did this guy survive?” 

As the host of the In The Wright Mind Podcast, a mental health advocate, and a successful career in government sector sales, Chris is on a mission to help others rise above their mental health struggles and bring hope to those who feel stuck and alone. 

In this interview we explore the power of mental health advocacy, finding gratitude for the dark moments, and what it really means to embrace the messy journey of being human. 

This episode is about the art and practice of shutting down the ego and deeply listening to the only truth that matters. 

Because someday, we may get the most powerful insight and life-changing clarity we need, at exactly the moment we no longer have the patience or mental bandwidth to receive it. 

Our behavior, habits, and emotions don’t just manifest out of the ether, it all comes from somewhere. 

My conversation with Natalie Moore was such a fun and fulfilling opportunity to explore the source of where it all comes from and to take a deep dive into the steps, actions, and journey of healing and personal growth. 

As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Natalie’s holistic approach to therapy is about empowering her clients to make positive changes and exploring the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and body sensations that can influence their quality of life. 

This episode is an honest and vulnerable chat about the origin of self-doubt, perfectionism, fear of judgment, and rejection, and the steps that we can all take to envision and create the future we desire. 

Her book, Tortured to Triumph, is a journey through complex PTSD and the story of a child who was neglected, abused, starved, torn from her siblings before the age of three, survived a near-death experience at age 7, and was declared legally dead by age 33. 

After eight months of conversations and learning about the heart-wrenching moments of Lu’s life, I was inspired by her incredible capacity to find gratitude within the darkness, strengthen her connection with spirit, and overcome the kind of insurmountable odds that would have destroyed the strongest of souls. 

This episode is a reminder that no matter how difficult the journey, we’re never alone, we can prevail, and our path to healing may open up a space for others to do the same.

When you run a small business, you will inevitably face countless challenges and invisible battles that your customers may never know about. 

As the co-owner of à bloc coffee and the head of all delicious treats and baked goods, Jenny Johnson’s story of resilience and innovation, shed some much-needed light on those hidden moments of growth that the world just doesn’t get to see. 

This interview was such a rare, raw, and no-bullshit kind of chat that gets right to the heart of relationships, business, life, and how to stay grounded amidst the chaos. 

Emilie Given is the founder and CEO of She’s A Given, a Seattle-based virtual assistant agency that specializes in matching high-level executive assistants with business leaders and their teams. 

I was introduced to Emilie by a recent guest on the podcast when I realized it was finally time for me to hire my own virtual assistant but I had no idea of the incredible story I would discover in the process. 

After a near-death experience that forever changed her outlook on life, Emilie decided to leave her 9-5 job at Amazon Corporate HQ and built her own thriving six-figure thriving business to achieve a more balanced life with her family. 

This interview is as real, courageous, and vulnerable as it gets, as we explore how the pivotal moments in childhood, the strength of our relationships, and the will to survive those dark moments can forever change the course of life.